Second Line: Big Choice Or Gentle Yes?
go for the connection
Sometimes I talk comedy in this column. Sometimes I go over the state of improv comedy, at least in Los Angeles where I live. Sometimes I’ll report on a festival or a show.
But other times I like to focus in on a small part of improv mechanics. Today is such a day! Join me as we talk for too long about the SECOND LINE of an improvised scene!
The first line in an improvised scene is crucial. We’ve even got a special name for it; The Initiation.
But what about the SECOND line? We don’t have a name for it, but might be even more important.
The second line is what makes the scene truly improvised, because now you have someone responding to a choice they didn’t make.
Big Choice?
Many people like making a big choice in line two.
Player 1: Wow, first day of school, this is a big day.
Player 2: (big energy jump) Lay off, teach! I’m no square!
A big emotional reaction can jump start a scene. You can grab the audience’s attention. I’ve even heard many teachers explicitly recommend making a “big choice” in your response to the initiation.
But it causes so many problems, especially among newer improvisers. Very often the initiator is not ready for a big choice. They’re still up in their heads, thinking about their initiation. They had more they wanted to make say.
You may say “Well, they should be ready to adjust! That’s improv!” Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re also allowed to shoot a basketball the second you catch it. But if you shoot the second you get the ball way at the opposite end of the court from the basket, you’ll miss every time. (Sports metaphors: they’re cool).
The big choice in line two might get a laugh, but the initiator is defensive. I see a lot of false fights in scenes when there’s a big choice in line 2.
Gentle Yes
I prefer a gentle yes. Let the initiator know you heard them, and give them room to keep going.
Player 1: Wow, first day of school, this is a big day.
Player 2: Oh yeah, huge. I’m a little nervous!
Player 1: I think we can be brand new people this year if we want. No more nerds. We can be the cool kids.
What we want at the top of our scenes is a connection to each other. Not the characters, necessarily, but the actors.
This doesn’t just go for initiations. Any time someone makes a big move in a scene, it’s helpful if the very next line is a gentle yes.
Person 1: (sometime in the middle of a scene) There’s something I need to tell you. I’ve sold the doghouse!
Look at these two options.
Person 2: (Big choice) Why? Because we are both secretly dogs?
Person 2: (Gentle yes) The doghouse! Why?
The big choice is funnier, but hurts the scene in the long run.
The gentle yes: It prevents false fights, prioritizes connection, and gets us working together.
I wrote about this before in this piece on Initiation Etiquette. Also in this piece on Accepting Offers.
Plug: The And Camp
Myself and the other WGIS founders are the featured teachers at a new “improv camp” next fall. It’s called THE AND CAMP. September 17-20 in the Berkshires. It’s $699 for the whole kit and kaboodle: food, lodging, classes, etc. Lots of great NYC teachers (Shannon O’Neill, Sebastian Conelli, Ray Cordova, Elana Fishbein) in a beautiful setting! Tons of fun classes, shows and improv nerdery will abound!
Plug: WGIS Intensives
If you’re more west coast oriented, WGIS is having intensives several times next year.
last week of Feb, first week of March
last week of April
last week of July, first week of August
Meant for out-of-towners, you come out for a week to LA (class does NOT provide lodging) for 8 sessions and a show of advanced instruction. They will be $375 for a week of classes.
There will be a simple application and if there’s a lot of demand, we’ll pick by lottery. They are not available yet but will be in a week or so. I’ll announce in this newsletter and the WGIS newsletter.
Really truly I’m gonna get something announced this week! Er, maybe. No for sure!
Plugs: More Stuff
The World’s Greatest Improv School: The improv school I run with Jim Woods and Sarah Claspell. We’ve got classes online, in LA and even a few in NYC! You can join our mailing list if you want our weekly announcement of shows.
How to Be The Greatest Improviser On Earth - My improv book, available at Amazon. Kindle or print (also on my web site for more if you don’t want to buy from Amazon). It’s a hodge-podge of advice I wrote in 2016 about doing improv. If you’re short of funds and want a free PDF version just email me and I’ll send it over.
I always felt Gethard was the king of this. He was often times patient and just let the initiator get out so much info before going too hard himself.
The only time I can see a big choice as a more optimal one is a premise scene where the initiator endowed me as the fool. Otherwise, in organic or even in premise if the initiator didn't go for it immediately, setting the baseline of the "usual" for the characters is the way to go. Looking forward to the intensives, I hope I can make it!